TODAY

Scripture:

Mark 15:40-47. …waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. READ: Psalm 41, 52 * 44; 1 Kings 13:1-10; Philippians 1:1-11

If you step onto a plane and recognize a friend of yours named Jack don’t yell out Hi Jack!

BOUDREAUX GOES TO MASS

Boudreaux showed up at Mass one Sunday, and the priest almost fell down when he saw him. Boudreaux had never been seen in church in his life. After Mass the priest caught up to Boudreaux and said, “Boudreaux, I am so glad you decided to come to Mass, but what made you come?”

Boudreaux said, “I got to be honest with you Father; a while back I misplaced my hat, and I really, really love that hat. I know that Thibodeaux had one just like mine, and I knew that Thibodeaux came to church every Sunday. I also knew that Thibodeaux had to take off his hat during Mass, and I figured he would leave it in the back of church. So, I was going to leave after Communion and steal Thibodeaux’s hat.”

The priest said, “Well, Boudreaux, I notice that you didn’t steal Thibodeaux’s hat. What changed your mind?”

Boudreaux said, “Well, after I heard your sermon on the 10 commandments, I decided that I didn’t need to steal Thibodeaux’s hat.”

The priest gave Boudreaux a big smile and said, “After I talked about ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’ you decided you would rather do without your hat than burn in Hell, right?”

Boudreaux shook his head and said, “No, Father, after you talked about ‘Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery,’ I remembered where I left my hat.”

TODAY

Scripture:

Psalm 146. I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. READ: Psalm 125 and Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 –OR– Psalm 146 and Isaiah 35:4-7a; James 2:1-10(11-13)14-17; Mark 7:24-37

To the bull in the pasture, may he live for heifer and heifer.

PANAMA’S INDEPENDENCE

Today Panama is celebrating  its freedom from Spain in 1821. Happy 188th  Birthday Panama.

On November 28th Panama will again celebrate its Independence. This time from Colombia.

ALL SOULS DAY

All Soul’s Day is on November 2, just after the All Saint’s Day and is an official holiday of the Catholic Calendar. It is a Roman Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have left for their heavenly abode. All Soul’s Day has its roots in the ancient Pagan Festival of the Dead, based on the pagan belief that the souls of the dead would return for a meal with the family. Candles kept in the window guide the souls back home and another place was set at the table. Children came asking for food to be offered symbolically to the dead, but then distributed them among the hungry.
Catholics believe that those who die are not immediately eligible for the Beatific vision (the reality and goodnes of God and heaven) and need to be purged of their sins. The Catholic Church calls this purification of the elect “purgatory.” The Catholic church maintains that
(a) there will be a purification of the believers prior to entering heaven and,
(b) the prayers and masses of the faithful benefit those in the state of purification.
In All Soul’s Day the friends and relatives of the departed souls pray and offer requiem masses. There are three Requiem Masses that are said by the clergy to assist the souls from Purgatory to Heaven: one for the celebrant, one for the departed, and one for the pope. While the Feast of All Saints is a day to remember the glories of Heaven and those there, the Feast of All Souls reminds us of our obligations to live lives on the holy path and that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for Heaven.
The Feast of All Souls owes its beginning to seventh century monks who decided to offer the mass on the day after Pentecost for their deceased community members. However, the choice of the date (Nov 2) for All Soul’s Day is attributed to St. Odilo, the fifth abbot of Cluny (city of France famous for the Abby), because he wanted to follow the example of Cluny in offering special prayers and singing the Office of the Dead on the day following the feast of All Saints.
The modern view of death derives in part from Pre-Hispanic times. The Aztecs played a very important role in the development of this tradition. Through their history, this festival emerged as one with many intricacies and with a varied interpretation to it. According to the Aztec beliefs, after a person’s death his soul would pass through nine phases before they reached Mictlan – the place of the dead. The Aztecs also believed that a person’s destiny was founded at birth and that the soul of that person depended on the type of death rather than the type of life they lead. The type of a person’s death would also determine what region they would go to. Once they arrived to their specific region, a person’s soul would either await transformation or linger, awaiting the next destiny.
The Spanish Conquest of 1521 brought about an amalgamation of the Catholic attitudes and indigenous beliefs. The theological underpinning of the feast of All Souls is the acknowledgment of human frailty. Since few people achieve perfection in this life but, rather, go to the grave still scarred with traces of sinfulness, some period of purification seems necessary before a soul comes face-to-face with God.

EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
In Mexico, Latin America, and Spain, All Souls’ Day, which takes place on November 2, is commemorated with a three-day celebration that begins on the evening of October 31. The celebration is designed to honor the dead who, it is believed, return to their earthly homes on Halloween. Many families construct an altar to the dead in their homes to honor deceased relatives and decorate it with candy, flowers, photographs, samples of the deceased favorite foods and drinks, and fresh water. Often, a wash basin and towel are left out so that the spirit can wash before indulging in the feast.
Candles and incense are burned to help the deceased find the way home. Relatives also tidy the grave-sites of their departed family members. This can include snipping weeds, making repairs, and painting. The grave is then decorated with flowers, wreaths, or paper streamers. On November 2, relatives gather at the grave-site to picnic and reminisce. Some gatherings even include tequila and a mariachi band! Celebrations honoring departed loved ones and family members are found as far back as ancient Egyptian times.

TODAY

Scripture:

Mark 15:12-21. They compelled a passer-by… READ: Psalm 37:1-18 * 37;19-42; 1 Kings 11:1-13; James 3:13-4:12

Honeydew you realize we cantaloupe because they would banana from traveling to chili.

HAVE A SAFE AND FUN HALLOWEEN

TODAY

Scripture:

Mark 15:1-11. You say so. READ: Psalm 38 * 119:25-48; 1 Kings 9:24-10:13; James 3:1-12

Two banks with different rates have a conflict of interest.

PUMKIN CARVING #8

OLD BRIDGE

Last week as I went to Dolega for an appointment we had to cross this bridge. Before and after crossing the bridge we were in the middle of  “NO-WHERE” The sight of and the looks of this bridge did not encourage me with confidence. Actually it was in fairly good condition.